Public Art

Public art is free and accessible to everyone. It’s important to a city because it naturally and seamlessly weaves art into citizens’ everyday lives, and can even help create an increased sense of attachment to the community. Fredericton’s public art both celebrates our heritage and enhances our public spaces.

Some of the city’s earliest pieces were gifts from politicians, such as the City Hall Fountain (1885) from Mayor George Fenety and the Temple Fountain (1899) from Senator Thomas Temple. Others were gifts from groups of people such as the Robert Burns Memorial (1906) gifted from Scottish cultural societies of the province, and the Lord Beaverbrook Statue (1957), a gift from more than 60,000 New Brunswick school children who contributed their pennies.

Other works are specially-commissioned from local and New Brunswick artists. These include Air Shapes (1964) at the Fredericton Airport and Beavers (1959) in Officers’ Square by Claude Roussel; The Playhouse Fly Tower (1972) by Tom Forrestall; Executives Ascending (1989) in Barker House by Craig Schneider; Fathers of Confederation (1967) in the Centennial Building by John Hooper; The Art of Conversation (2004) at UNB by Peter Powning; Pawakon/Spirit Guide (2002) at St. Mary’s Memorial Site by Ned Bear; and an Acadian Mural (2004) at Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne by Marcel Boudreau.